This invention was made with government support under Contract No. DABT-63-92-C-0019 awarded by the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA). The government has certain rights in the invention.
The present invention relates, in general, to compound stage microelectromechanical (MEM) devices for multidimensional motion, and more particularly to MEM sensors and microactuators having multiple suspended stages interconnected by way of multiple beams to permit selective activation of the stages for controlled motion in three dimensions, and to such devices incorporating microelectronic components, such as gated field emitters. The invention further relates to methods for fabricating compound micron-dimensioned devices for selective control thereof and for fabricating gated field emitters integrally therewith.
Microelectromechanical devices have been developed for a variety of purposes, and are exemplified by U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,072,288, 5,198,390, 5,179,499, and 5,199,917, all issued to MacDonald et al and assigned to the assignee of the present application, as well as by the article entitled "A RIE Process for Submicron Silicon Electromechanical Structures" Zhang et al, J. Micromech. Microeng., Volume 2, No. 1, March 1992, pages 31-38. Various processes and techniques have been developed for production Of such devices, as described in the Zhang et al publication, and these devices and processes have created a new technology for micron and submicron devices.
Fundamental to the application of MEM techniques to micromachined systems and instruments, however, is the provision of microactuators capable of supporting various microelectronic devices and components to enable them to be moved or held in place selectively and with great precision. Particularly needed is a way to position microactuators about three linear (x, y, z) and three angular (roll, pitch, yaw) directions. Such six-way positioning must have a wide range of travel, must operate with speed and high resolution, must be repeatable, and must have the capacity to move a significant load, as well as to provide accurate position readouts, so as to provide accurate positioning as well as scanning operations. Furthermore, to enable such actuators to carry microelectronic devices, a mechanism must also be provided for electrically connecting the microelectronics to exterior circuitry.